Dear Redeemer Family,
This coming Sunday, July 18th, I’d like to invite you to attend a brief conversation about a decision our parish leadership needs to make in the coming months. If you are interested, we will gather in the upstairs library of the church building for 30 minutes in between the services (10:20-10:50am).
Here’s a little bit of background information to tee up the conversation:
THE GOOD NEWS
PART 1: Our church continues to grow! As more new people join us, we need to do the hospitable work of making space for them. A key part of this is our Nursery and Kids ministry on Sunday mornings. We have so many babies and young children that we will need to dedicate nearly every room in the building to the care and spiritual formation of children.
PART 2: As the church grows, our staff team will need to continue to grow. We will continue to add thoughtful, talented, mature men and women to our staff and these good folks will need office space.
THE CHALLENGE
With a limited number of rooms in 2715 Grove Ave - there is not enough room for our growing Nursery and Kids ministry and our growing staff. Therefore, out of a desire to prioritize the spiritual formation of our children, we need to move the staff off-site.
THE TEMPORARY SOLUTION
Beginning August 1st, our staff will use the coworking space at Common House RVA.
This is a good short-term solution, but will not work for the long-run. Coworking space is fine for a staff member who just needs a place to sit, answer emails, plan ministry events, and coordinate with other staff members. It is not ideal for things like: pastoral counseling, sermon/teaching preparation, prayer, meetings with parishioners, etc.
POTENTIAL SOLUTION
As of right now, the Vestry is seriously considering purchasing a row house in the Fan or Museum Districts to become Redeemer’s Parish House. The Parish House would serve the dual purposes of providing space for staff offices and ministry gathering space for small groups, ministry meetings, classes, etc.
This would allow for our worshipping congregation to continue to grow at 2715 Grove Ave., and our staff to continue to grow at the Parish House.
ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS WE CONSIDERED
Renting Office Space: This was the first option we pursued. However, we discovered that the annual cost for renting dedicated office space exceeds the annual mortgage for a purchased property.
Renting a Different Building for both Sunday Worship and Office Space: While we are very open to potentially renting a different property, there are very few options currently available in the Fan and Museum Districts.
Also, moving worship spaces is significantly disruptive for a congregation and the mission of the church. Something as minor as expanding staff offices should not be the driving factor for a move of this size.
Requiring Staff to Work from Home: We discussed this and decided against it for two reasons:
1) Many of our staff are parents of young children and home is not a quiet, productive environment.
2) The work of ministry is highly relational and collaborative. The staff needs to be physically together in order to function well as a team.
Purchasing a Church Building: While this is certainly a long-term goal, we do not currently know of an affordable property located in the Fan or Museum Districts that is for sale.
Constructing a New Church Building: There is very little undeveloped land in the Fan or Museum Districts on which a new church building could be constructed.
Relocating the Church: Why don’t we just move out of this expensive neighborhood into the more affordable county? While may seem appealing for a number of reasons, we are committed to being a church in and for the city of Richmond.
THREE THINGS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER
Come to the conversation between the two worship services this Sunday to learn more, ask questions, and pray for a wise way forward.
Pray on your own for the Lord to provide good space for our growing congregation.
Think about who you might know here in the Metro-Richmond area that might be able to help Redeemer find a good solution.
Example: Your Great Aunt just happens to own a beautiful row house on Grove Ave. and she wants to donate it to the church…
Folks, what an exciting challenge this is! I’m confident that, through your prayers and guidance of the Holy Spirit, we will discern a wise and reasonable way forward that will bear good fruit for the Kingdom of God.
In the Father’s love,
